Feed rack and trough



(N0 Mddel.) I I G. W. WILLIAMS.

FEED BACK AND TROUGH.

No. 555,839. I Patented Mm, 5, 1 95;

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GEORGE IV. lVILLIAMS, OF BETHANY, MISSOURI.

FEED RACK AND TROUGH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,839, dated March 8,1896.

Application filed July 29, 1895. Serial No. 557,457. (No model.)

T0 (6 whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bethany, in the county of Harrison and State of Missouri,have invented a'new and useful Feed-Rack, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to feed-racks, and has for its object to provide asimple and efiicient construction whereby the trough, which is adaptedto contain salt, grain, &c., is normally protected to exclude dust,rain, &c., and is opened by the weight of an animal in approaching thesame to feed.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in thefollowing descriptionand the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rack constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showingthe platform depressed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the slidingtroughcover inverted.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates the base-beams, from the front ends of which rise standards2, each consisting of parallel bars 2, and supported between the upperends of said standards is the feedtrough 3. Supported by the standardscontiguous to the opposite ends of the trough are the parallel inclinedguides 4;, extending beyond the front and rear sides of the standardsand each comprising parallel bars 4. Between the rear projecting ends ofthe parallel bars are mounted the pulleys 5, and between the frontextremities of the same are mounted similar pulleys 6 to carry theoperating-cables '7, the rear ends of said cables being attached toreturn-springs 8, which are secured at their lower extremities to thestandards near the planes of the beams 1. The guides incline upwardtoward their front ends and support a trough-cover 9, consisting of aboard resting upon the upper surfaces of the guides and projecting atits extremities beyond the outer sides thereof, where it is providedwith depending strips 10, the inner surfaces of which bear against theouter surfaces of the guides.

Pivoted at their rear ends to the beams 1 and operating between theplanes thereof are the operating-levers 11, which extend forward beyondthe standards and are connected at their extremities to the front endsof the opcrating-cables 7, the front ends of the operating-levers beingelevated when the operating-springs are contracted and the cover 9 beingat the same time in position over the trough to exclude dust, rain, the.The cover is secured to the operating-cables by means of clips orstaples 12.

The operating-levers support a platform 18, adapted to support stock inapproaching the trough, and as the operating-levers are fulcrumed to thebeams 1. the depression of the platform will bring the lower edges ofthe levers in the same horizontal plane with the lower edges of thebeams 1,whereby said lower edges of the operatingdevers will rest uponthe ground or other surface by which the rack is supported. The springs,or other equivalents, inasmuch as weights will serve with equalefliciency in this connection, are of just sufficient strength to raisethe platform and operating-levers when relieved of the weight of stock,and therefore as the stock approach the trough their weight immediatelydepresses the platform until the operating-levers rest upon the groundand the parts of the mechanism are relieved of strain. Theoperatinglevers are cut away at their outer sides, as shown at 14, toavoid frictional contact with the standards, and the front ends of theoperating-1e vers and the guides are connected by cross-bars 15 and 16,respectively, to act as guards to prevent stock from approaching thetrough from the side opposite to the platform.

From the above description it will be seen that the cover is held fromtransverse displacement by means of the depending strips 10 arranged,respectively, in contact with the outer sides of the guides, and is heldfrom displacement in other directions by means of the operating-cable bywhich connection is made with the operating-levers and thecounterbalancing device, consisting in the construction illustrated ofthe springs 8.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a feed-rack, thecombination of pivotal operating-levers supporting a platform, a trougharranged transversely above the plane of the operating levers at anintermediate point of the length thereof, upwardly and forwardlyinclined guides consisting of straight bars arranged contiguous to theex tremities of the trough and approximately in the same vertical planeswith the operatinglevers, said guides extending forwardly beyond thefront sides of the trough a distance approximately equal to the width ofthe trough, a cover mounted to slide upon said guides to close or openthe trough, operatingcables attached at their front extremities to thefront ends of the operating-levers, supported by direction-pulleys atopposite ends of the guides and attached at intermediate points to thecover, and counterbalancing devices connected to the rear ends of thecables and adapted to close the cover and elevate the operating-leverswhen the platform is relieved of weight, said cables serving to hold thecover in place on the guides, substan tially as specified.

2. In a feed-rack, the combination of horizontal beams, standards risingfrom the front ends of the beams, a trough supported transverselybetween the upper ends of the standards, forwardly and upwardly inclinedguidebars arranged with their upper sides flush with the upper edges ofthe trough, and projecting at their ends beyond the front and rear sidesthereof, the front ends projecting a greater distance than the Width ofthe trough, guide-pulleys arranged, respectively, at the front and rearends of the guide-bars, a cover mounted to slide upon the guide-bars toclose and open the trough and provided near its extremities withdepending strips to bear against the corresponding sides of the bars,operating-levers pivoted at their rear ends between the beams andextending between the standards and beyond the vertical plane thereof, aplatform supported by the operating-levers, flexible connections, ascables, attached to the front ends of the operating-levers extended oversaid guide-pulleys, parallel with the guide-bars, and permanentlyattached at intermediate points to the cover, and counterbalancing-springs attached to the rear ends of the cables and adapted to closethe cover and elevate the front ends of the operating-levers when theplatform is relieved of weight, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \V. \VILLIAMS.

\Vitnesses M. A. HIGGINS, R. L. ALVORD.

